In recent years, a great deal of effort has been made in the field of protein technology in producing meat substitutes. Extensive development has occurred and is continuing in providing meat analogs based on different formulations.
Feldbrugge, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,435, patented Nov. 22, 1975, describes a meat analog system which uses a mixture of an encapsulated combination of polymeric carbohydrate gel precursor with an animal fat or vegetable oil and a protein gel precursor containing a mixture of vegetable proteinaceous material and non-vegetable proteinaceous material such as albumen, casein, whey and mixtures thereof.
Leidy, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,291, patented Jan. 16, 1973, describes a meat analog containing a blend of a combination of non-fibrous vegetable protein and non-vegetable protein of albumen, casein, whey and mixtures thereof with non-rendered animal fat and filler material of specific interest in the production of a juicy sausage analog. Another Leidy, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,837, patented Jan. 30, 1973, describes a process for making a similar meat analog as produced in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,291 described above, but also requiring freezing and thawing the product to provide a juicy sausage analog. An additional Leidy, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,678, patented Sept. 17, 1974, describes a sausage-like food product prepared by autoclaving a gel precursor which is a mixture of a non-fibrous gelable soy protein isolate and material selected from albumen, casein, whey and mixtures thereof.
A fourth Leidy, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,498 suggests a sausage analog process similar to that described in the other three Leidy, et al. patented described above. This patent describes a meat analog formed from a protein gel precursor that has incorporated therein frozen non-rendered animal fatty tissue prior to a heating operation which causes gelation of the vegetable protein.
Tewey, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,352, patented Nov. 25, 1975, describes a process to produce a juicy sausage analog having three distinct phases: a continuous gel phase; a substantially discontinuous fat phase; and a discontinuous chewy proteinaceous phase. In this process, solidified fat particles, particles of a chewy proteinaceous component and a precursor of the continuous gel phase are mixed and coarsely chopped to obtain a substantially uniform heterogeneous distribution of the particulate material within the continuous gel phase precursor. The resulting coarsely chopped blend is formed into a substantially cohesive sausage analog by coagulating the continuous gel phase precursor.
All of the above described patents provide a satisfactory meat and sausage analog. The present invention provides another highly desirable meat and sausage analog product by making the product in a manner substantially different than that employed by such other patents.